Solitaires
by SinTotchi
Summary: As a partner, he has Eames; As a lover, he has no one. Detective Robert Goren inadvertently runs into a young woman whom, after chatting with her and noticing a large scar, he learns had cancer, resulting in her very unique outlook on life. They spark a friendship, but could there possibly be more between two individuals who are so untrusting of people in general? Starts in S1.
1. Running Into The Unexpected

Chapter 1

 **Author's Note: Hi everybody! I've been wanting to write a CI story for a while, so I finally did it in the midst of my other story (non-L &O). It's a long first chapter, and I don't expect the rest to be quite this long, but you never know. Before you get started, I have a few items I wanted to mention:**

 **1) I did a few days' worth of research on Goren and CI in general, so I'm going to try and do my best to keep him as Goren-like as possible. I'm used to writing mean-guy characters, so please bear with me while I try to settle into getting used to his voice. Hopefully I did an OK job in this chapter, but I'm always up for constructive criticism (and reviews in general, I love them!).**

 **2) Any of Rosaline's cancer experiences/opinions on life are taken from my own. No, she is not a self-insert type character, I just didn't want to try and act like I knew any other cancer/cancer experience better than mine, and I didn't want to risk upsetting someone for incorrectly stating something related to another cancer that I didn't know that well. The type of cancer I had is a bit rare, especially for my age group, but it also helps me make this more authentic, because the experiences she'll explain are either going to be adapted from or exactly the ones I've had - both good and bad! I hope she's still at least a little relatable for those that haven't had cancer and don't share the same opinions she does - I'd be sad if you guys didn't like her (but I hope you will)!**

 **3) Last, this story starts back in the year 2000. I had to do some refresher research on the tech back in the day, since most of it (such as the first iPod) hadn't even been thought of in 2000. MP3 players and PlayStation One's, here we come!**

 **P.S.: Rosaline in this story is pronounced Roz-uh-line (like a straight line); Mansilla is Man-see-ya; Sercio is Sehr-see-oh. :)**

* * *

It was almost mid-November in New York, and as Rosaline made her way out of one of thousands of yellow taxis in the city, she readjusted her knee-length peacoat and checked her watch, smiling inwardly. She made her way through the crowds of people towards her usual coffeeshop for some breakfast, moving along while keeping a simple smile to herself, almost walking to the beat of the music she was listening to on her MP3 player. Her headphones covered her ears and drowned out the loud noises of the city, allowing her to focus on mentally singing along to her current favorite album. She continued on, sporting her work outfit for the day – a form-fitting white pants suit with a red blouse underneath, and her matching crimson heels were currently stored in their shoe 'case' inside of her messenger bag, which she wouldn't change into until she got to her destination. She liked to stop by this place at least two or three times during her work week, mainly because they had some of the best pastries in town, but also because it saved her time at home from having to cook, although she still did so on the other days she didn't stop by there.

Her white Pumas made virtually no sound on the concrete while she strolled, and as she spotted the usually-busy café a few feet ahead, she shifted her attention and began to dig in her medium-sized purse for her MP3 player, so she could pause the song when she went inside. _"Man, it really fell into the black-hole abyss that is my purse today,"_ She thought, pursing her lips to the side as she began to trace and seek the headphone cable the MP3 was attached to, hoping she could yank it out before she got inside. She was so entrenched in her search and rescue mission that she never even thought to look up, startling her completely when she ran into something, or more like some _one_ , gasping in surprise.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!" She cried out ruefully, leaning over and crouching a bit to pick up the dark brown zip-up binder that she'd knocked out of the person's hands and to the floor. As she did so, she simultaneously pulled off the headphones from atop her head and placed them around her neck, just before wrapping her hands around the heavy, leather-bound binder. She then rose and straightened back up, almost jumping back when she realized how close she was to the person. Her eyes continued from staring almost straight at their chest and trailed up the dark grey suit to their face, unwittingly getting a deep blush on her tan skin, which – she thanked the stars – was not as noticeable under the light makeup she had on, since she'd put on some blush earlier while still at home. _"Well hello,_ _ **very**_ _handsome stranger…"_ She thought bashfully, trying not to show her embarrassment as she smiled at him and offered him back his binder, feeling the soft smoothness of the material under her thumbs, speculating that it was probably from being used so much. "Sorry about that…"

The man smiled back and took his binder from her, letting out a soft chuckle. "What were you looking for so intently?" He asked, nodding toward her purse; he was curious as to her reaction when their eyes had met, but also as to what had distracted her.

Rosaline's face shifted from embarrassment to surprise when she heard him speak, letting out a nervous laugh as she looked back at her purse. "Oh…this, actually," she replied, reaching over and grabbing the MP3 player that had stumbled its way out of her purse when the two had collided and was now hanging out of her bag, the only thing keeping it from hitting the ground being the headphone cord that had caught under the magnetic latch on her purse. She pressed a button on it and paused the music that she'd faintly heard from her headphones after she'd slipped them off, turning back to him and thanking him when he held the door open for her.

She stepped in, smiling at the hostess who returned the gesture and gave her a small wave. She stepped behind a line of people and began to place her MP3 back into her purse, this time gently tying it around one of the purse straps using the headphone cord, so it would dangle against the side of her purse instead of sinking to the bottom somewhere. _"I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier,"_ She scolded herself, feeling someone's gaze watching her intently, and she could only guess it was the guy she'd run into now standing behind her. She shifted a little and switched her weight to her other foot, tucking a strand of hair behind her right ear and then stepping forward once the group in front of her was seated.

"Hi Miss Mansilla. The usual spot?" The hostess asked cheerily, turning to grab a menu and a set of silverware wrapped in a napkin.

"Yes, that would be great! If it's still available," Rosaline responded, glancing around at the packed lunchroom. At first glance, it seemed like there were no tables open at all.

"It is! I tried to keep it open for you for your usual time," the hostess replied, continuing as Rosaline made her way around the podium, "I know to give it away if you haven't called or you're not here after 15. Please follow me!"

Rosaline did so, and as she was led through the dining area she discerned that once she was seated, there _really_ wouldn't be any tables left. She thought about the guy she'd run into and started to feel bad, realizing that if she hadn't run into him, he probably would've been able to get a table and not have to wait at all. As the hostess seated her, she looked back to the entrance and noticed him be greeted by the other hostess who had just returned from seating someone else. She placed her coat on the nearby hook and took off her messenger bag as she moved to sit down, but before the hostess left she saw the man checking his watch, obviously not too pleased about the wait time he'd been quoted. She herself had made the mistake before of coming in just a few minutes too late, and had to wait about half an hour before being seated, which is why she gave herself plenty of time now in case that happened again. If she ended up not needing the extra time, she'd take the long way to work, but also knew that nobody would mind her coming in early.

"Hey," She called out to the hostess, getting her attention just as she had begun to leave the table, "That guy that's at the podium now – tell him that, if he doesn't mind, I'd like to buy him breakfast for running into him. He can sit with me if he doesn't want to wait or go somewhere else."

The hostess looked towards the entrance and saw the man she spoke of, nodding once and trying to hurry back to catch him as he headed to the exit.

Rosaline watched her, smiling when she saw the hostess call out to him just before he reached the exit. She then quickly shifted her gaze to the menu in front of her, pretending not to see him approaching as she took her purse off and placed it atop the messenger bag she'd laid down next to her in the small booth. She had turned toward the wall the booth was up against, so she didn't even realize someone was there until she heard the gentle 'thump' of the thick leather-bound binder being somewhat carefully sat atop the table, causing her to turn suddenly and look to her left, tracing up the now slightly-familiar suit up to its owner.

The man chuckled the same as earlier before asking, "Did I scare you?"

Rosaline laughed in response and shook her head, waving to the seat in front of her in the two-person booth. "No, but maybe surprised me a little," she smiled, watching him sit and look at her curiously, as if he was studying her. "Thanks for taking me up on the offer, it's the least I could do since I crashed into you for being clueless," she added, trying not to blush under his intense gaze. "I'm Rosaline. Rosaline–"

"Mansilla." He replied matter-of-factly, seeing her face giving him a confounded look before it changed to a knowing one.

"Ah, so I guess you heard Alison, the hostess," She laughed, taking her headphones off from around her neck and turning slightly to place them in her purse, "I keep telling her to call me Rosaline but she never does. I guess it might be a job thing," she added, shrugging a little before turning back to face him with a grin.

"Goren—Well, Robert Goren," He replied, holding his hand out for a handshake, and smiling in return.

"Well, nice to meet you, Robert," Rosaline replied, looking down at his hand before taking it in her own, noticing that it was a good size larger than hers. His grip was firm, but not tight or painful, and he came across to her as someone she could trust. How she knew that, she couldn't say, but she also didn't want to decide on anything before getting to know him, _if_ she got to know him, since she'd been wrong before. Albeit, those instances had been many years earlier – she'd become a pretty good judge of character in the last couple of years; nonetheless, she still didn't completely judge someone when she first met them, knowing from experience that they'd show their true colors very quickly as soon as she told them about what she'd been through.

As her mind drifted off she'd kept holding his hand, and when she realized it she laughed and gently released it, using her own to scratch her forehead a little. "Sorry, I guess I got lost in my own thoughts for a second," she apologized, reaching up with both her hands to pull her long hair behind her, so it wouldn't get in the way when she looked down at her menu in a minute.

"More like a minute," Goren joked, earning a laugh followed by 'You got me there.' As she studied her menu he watched her closely, and he could tell she was nervous – one of the giveaways being the fact that she was a regular to the staff, but was still pretending to look over the menu as if she didn't know it already –, but he wasn't entirely sure why. He figured it might be his presence, but he couldn't affirm whether it was nerves from meeting someone new, or for another reason entirely. Her body language was telling him that she might be attracted to him – her blush when she first looked at him, her pupils dilating, holding his hand for a long time…he could go on, but he didn't want to flatter himself into thinking that such a beautiful woman would be reacting in such a fervent way because of him. Not only that, but he didn't want to make any mistakes in judgement just because _he_ was attracted to _her_. For now, he'd be friendly (she did invite him to breakfast, after all), and share a polite conversation with a woman who he deemed at first glance to be fairly intelligent. Hopefully, intelligent enough to keep up with him.

As she pulled her hair back, Goren noticed the scar on her neck – mostly healed, and definitely made by a scalpel…a scalpel wielded by a _very_ talented surgeon. He was about to ask about it (all while resisting the urge to touch the brilliantly-made incision) when their waiter showed up, and he stopped looking at Rosaline long enough to shift his attention to the server.

"Hi Rosaline. The usual, or do you want some coffee today?" The waiter asked, completely ignoring the fact that there was someone sitting with her.

"Yep, the usual, I had some coffee at home," Rosaline replied, giving him a small smile before turning to look back at Goren. "Glass of water and mug of honey green tea," She whispered to him, as an answer to the inquisitive look he'd just given her. She didn't turn to look back at the waiter, and her gaze lingered on Goren while he ordered his beverage, quickly shifting to look at the menu just before he finished speaking.

"Thank you, _Jason_ ," Goren finished, arms crossed over the table as he leaned forward and added the server's name while he stared at it on his nametag. The waiter seemed to walk off disgruntled, probably at the fact that Rosaline had paid no attention to him whatsoever, which amused him to no extent. He'd felt her watching him, but he also turned to his menu and picked out something to order.

After the waiter quickly returned with their drinks, he asked them if they were ready to order. The two looked at each other and nodded, and Jason took their orders, writing them down quickly on a small note pad. As he finished, he placed the note pad in his server apron and looked at Rosaline, waiting for her to look at him before making a slight nod towards Goren. "So, where's your boyfriend?" He asked almost rudely, staring at her and waiting for her answer, not noticing that Goren was grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, he's at home," Rosaline replied nonchalantly, reaching over and picking up the small tea mug before looking at Jason, "You know, about 15 pounds, four legs, all fuzzy and cute with a tail…his name's Sercio." She said this with a grin, hiding it briefly behind the mug as she took a sip. She barely heard Jason's "I'll be back with your meal" after she'd shifted her eyes to Goren, giving a small shrug.

"I think he likes you," Goren said casually, taking a sip of the coffee he'd ordered.

Rosaline almost spit out the drink of tea she'd just taken. "What?! Seriously? I don't think so."

"Oh, I _undeniably_ think so. I'm one hundred percent sure he was trying to make me jealous," He replied, laughing a bit as he shook his head.

Rosaline rolled her eyes and took another sip of her tea. "Well, he's definitely out of luck there because I _undeniably_ don't want a guy like _that_. Not really into the jealous types, at all, but that's probably because I'm not a jealous person myself. Either way, how he acted and his attitude seem pretty immature to me… _ **no thanks**_."

Goren listened to her, his interest in learning more about her growing with each response. She did seem pretty mature to him, but she looked young, like in her early twenties. "So, you have a dog?"

At this, Rosaline beamed and straightened up in her seat, setting the mug down in front of her, but keeping her hands around it. "I do, and he's the best," She replied, "I adopted him a little over two years ago. He's my constant companion – if I could take him to work with me, I would. I'm still trying to convince my boss…I'm not giving up any time soon, either."

At this, Goren smiled and watched her tuck the same strand of hair that had come loose behind her ear, as she'd done before. He'd been about to ask her where she worked and what she did, but he was distracted from that when he saw her scar again, his curiosity being too much to not satiate. "So, how'd you get that scar?" He asked, pointing to her neck.

Rosaline almost reflexively reached up and touched her neck, a smile gracing her lips as she looked at him. Most people were too afraid or uncomfortable to ask about it, but he wasn't, and she liked that. No, she _really_ liked that.

"I'm a cancer survivor. I got diagnosed shortly after turning 26 a couple years ago," She paused, reaching both hands up to move her hair over to the left side of her neck, so the right side would be exposed. "They did a neck dissection and took out 50 of my lymphnodes. Out of those, two of them were positive for cancer," She continued, shifting her body a bit and turning her head to the left, using her right index finger to trace the scar from the front of her neck all the way through and up to behind her right ear, ending right by her earlobe.

"I have another scar, but I'm not gonna tell you where that one is," She said teasingly, moving her hair back behind her and turning to face him again, grinning.

Goren couldn't help but get a little captivated by her. As far as he could remember, he hadn't met someone her age who had had cancer, and the few people he did meet were always very somber and not forthcoming at all about their experience, which he could completely understand. But her…she was telling him about this and _smiling_ , as if it was just another walk in the park, plus she was so positive, completely honest, and open about what she'd been through, which just made him want to know more.

As a side bonus, he now also knew her age – 28 – which made him note that she looked younger than she really was. But he was 11 years older than her, and somehow he couldn't see her being interested in him even if he was in her; however, that wasn't going to stop him from learning more about her – she was the only woman he'd come across that he thought was actually both interesting and clever, not to mention sensible (besides Eames, of course).

As he'd thought all of this, he'd also easily, using his much-loved power of multitasking, been paying attention to her, and he smiled humorously before continuing. "Hm, let's see if I can figure it out," he responded, noticing the look of intrigue on her face. "Stick out your tongue."

Rosaline's eyes widened and she slowly set the mug she'd been sipping from in front of her. He couldn't really guess not only what type of cancer she'd had, but where her other scar was just from looking in her mouth and at the scar on her neck, could he? Although…he did seem very knowledgeable…so she did so, and stuck out her tongue as far as she could – which wasn't very much, truthfully, because of the surgery she'd had – all while trying not to laugh too hard in the process.

Goren tried not to smirk as he placed his right arm and left elbow on the table, using his left hand to point at her tongue and leaning forward slightly. "You had a skin graft done, didn't you?" He asked as she closed her mouth quickly, her stunned face easily giving him his answer and causing him to laugh triumphantly a bit and lean back, crossing his arms. "I'll bet you had tongue cancer, or what's medically called 'Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tongue,' most likely Stage 3 or 4," he added matter-of-factly, before uncrossing his arms to grab his coffee and take a sip, "I'll also wager that your other scar is very close to your bikini line, probably from that skin graft," He paused, simply smiling while looking down at the mug she still had cupped between her hands, just before meeting her light brown eyes with his dark ones. "So, how'd I do?"

Rosaline's face had changed expressions from shocked, to stunned, to how-the-hell?, and then back to shocked again. "Well look at you," She almost whispered, her shock dissipating into interest and amusement, almost mirroring his own expression, "Damn, you're observant! You were able to tell all that from just looking at my scar and tongue, huh? That's…downright amazing. Most people don't even notice that I have a scar at all," She added, trying to continue and hide the sudden blush that creeped onto her face when she realized she was oh-so-definitely attracted to him, "I'm _very_ impressed! I'm curious to know how you figured it out…"

Goren's smile widened as he began explaining his methods, "I noticed that you had some difficulty extending your tongue, and when I looked closer, I saw that the surface wasn't completely smooth and even. From that I knew you'd had surgery there and had part of your tongue removed, and since there wasn't a hole where they'd cut the piece out, it was obvious that they'd done a skin graft. And, skin grafts for women are usually taken from their bikini line, so I knew that's where they'd gotten yours from, since you mentioned you wouldn't tell me where your other scar was."

Rosaline listened to him attentively, completely fascinated by the fact that he could tell so much from something so small, from such a tiny piece of information. She'd placed her left elbow on the table and placed her chin on the palm of her left hand, every so often taking sips of her tea, but never breaking eye contact with him, finally looking long enough to notice the dark brown hue of his eyes, which matched perfectly with the seemingly black, or at the very least quite dark brown, shade of his hair.

Neither of them realized that their food had arrived since they were too into their conversation, but when they did, they began to eat their breakfast, continuing to talk as Goren attempted to placate his intrigue by asking her questions. It wasn't long before they finished eating, but neither of them noticed the time passing by since they were having too much fun and fascination getting to know each other. Or maybe more like Goren was learning a lot about Rosaline, and Rosaline liked answering his questions, since he actually had the balls to ask her, unlike most people. She found this _very_ attractive in a man, but she wasn't about to come out and tell him that. She still wasn't entirely sure if he was more interested in her or her story, but she had to admit to herself that she wouldn't mind if it was both. After all, he was a total brainiac and enthralling, with the added bonus of being very handsome, and even though he was probably a foot taller than her, she didn't mind that either. A nice pair of heels could easily help with that.

" _Oh god, what am I thinking? I'm already imagining myself spending all this time with this guy, and I've just met him! Although he_ _ **is**_ _really cute…and he seems nice, like he wouldn't drop me just because I'm a cancer survivor, unlike all the other guys I've wasted dates on. As soon as they heard the word 'cancer,' they almost literally ran out the door. But Robert…he wants to know_ _ **more**_ _, he's the complete opposite. I really hope I'm not wrong,"_ She thought, smiling at him just as the waiter dropped off the check. She saw Goren grabbing for his wallet as well as the check, but she quickly reached over and placed her hand over his atop the receipt, curling her fingers and grabbing his hand gently.

"Please let me pay for this. It really is the least I could do after running into you and knocking your binder to the floor," She pleaded apologetically, meeting his gaze and giving him a kind smile.

"Well yes, but…even if you did that, I've been asking you so many questions about a very intimate part of your life," He replied, noticing she hadn't moved her hand from holding his, but not thinking (and maybe even not wanting?) to move his hand, either.

"You have, but you wouldn't have asked me all those questions if I hadn't bumped into you, so it's still my treat!" She insisted, neither of them budging from their decision until Goren finally laughed lightly and smiled at her.

"Okay, fine. But," He paused, seeing the questioning look in her eyes before continuing, "Only if you let me pay next time."

Rosaline's eyes widened before she broke the gaze briefly, laughing sheepishly and nodding, her cheeks flushed when she met his eyes again, "Deal. I'm looking forward to it," She added, slowly removing her hand from atop his, and only breaking their stare to look over and reach into her purse for her long, zippered wallet. She could feel him watching her, and she smiled as she pulled out her card, placing it atop the receipt. "So, Mr. Robert, where do you work?"

Goren never stopped observing her, his first verbal hint that she might be attracted to him being her very recent words, and although he of course had all the physical signs, he didn't want to chance misunderstanding her intentions for true attraction rather than friendship. He knew women were usually too nice to say 'no,' and although deep down he didn't think that was the case here, he had also been turned down after what he thought was a 'date,' which turned out to be no more than 'meeting with a friend.' That had been before he was as wise about these signs as he is now, but he still didn't want to risk it. If and when he knew the time was right, he'd make that move, but for now he needed to get to know her better. In fact, he _had_ to get to know her better – she was much too complex for him to figure out in one sitting, unlike most women, and he both loved and feared that – he didn't want her to turn out to be a complete enigma. Granted, he didn't suspect so, considering how open she'd been with him about her cancer experience, but that never construed not avowed the fact that she'd be as open with everything else about her life. Well, besides her dog, of course.

"I'm a detective," He said simply after his deep thought session, taking a drink of his freshly refilled coffee.

Rosaline's smile grew into a smirk as she imagined him in uniform. She quickly shook off the thought, smiling still as she replied, "Law enforcement, hmm? I can honestly say I'm not surprised, you remind me of Sherlock Holmes," she teased, grinning, "I'm a computer engineer. My workplace isn't too far from One Police Plaza, I think."

Goren smiled and kept a cool demeanor, but inside he was riveted by the fact that she wasn't a complete airhead, to put it lightly. Although he as well could tell that just from looking at her, one of the reasons being that she looked sophisticated in the clothes she wore. "My workplace _is_ in One Police Plaza," he replied, giving her a nod, "I'm in Major Case."

Rosaline's eyes narrowed slightly as she grinned at him, turning her head a bit and looking at him out of the corner of her eyes. "No wonder you're so deductive," she responded, straightening her head back to look at him face-to-face, "I had a feeling since I could feel you watching—no, _observing_ me this entire time. I knew it wasn't because you're the quiet type."

Goren couldn't help but laugh and tilt his head to look down at the table, just before he raised only his eyes and looked at her with a smile. "Now who's deductive?"

Rosaline gave him an amused look before grinning and laughing as well. "Touché monsieur. Muy bien," she gave him a small but playful wink, suddenly glancing at the rest of the restaurant only to notice that most of the morning rush was gone. Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked down at her watch, astonishment lingering as she turned to look at him. "Have we really been here almost two hours?"

Goren watched her, and when she asked him that question, he couldn't help but look at his own watch as well. "…we have. I was supposed to be at One P. P. an hour ago," He responded, chuckling softy at himself – this had never happened to him before, especially because he wasn't the sort of person to lose track of time or be late _anywhere_. Well, as long as he was in control, at least; he couldn't count the times he had to stay late at MCS because he was working on a case – not that he usually minded, anyway.

"I was supposed to be at work myself an hour ago," Rosaline replied, grabbing some pins from her purse before pulling the opaque shoe bag out from her messenger bag, "I have to run to the restroom, but don't feel like you have to wait for me, especially if you're running late," she beamed him a smile before scooting out of the seat and walking a few feet to the nearby bathroom, hurriedly rushing inside.

Goren watched her walk and stared at the closed bathroom door for a second, trying to decide whether to leave or stay, although deep down he already knew he was going to wait for her. He was curious to find out what was in that bag she took, and quieted his inner workaholic, telling himself he was already running late and he could wait another few minutes; he didn't expect to get yelled at for it, either, especially since he hadn't been late at all since starting at MCS.

Rosaline stood in front of the mirror, placing the bag on the widest edge of the sink before reaching up and sweeping her long hair up into a bun, using the pins she'd grabbed from her purse to keep it up. She then opened the black satin shoe bag and grabbed out her heels, placing them on the floor before pulling off her Pumas and socks one at a time, shoving the sock inside said shoe while placing her foot inside the 3-inch heel and doing the same with the matching pair. She put the Pumas in the bag sole-to-sole and closed it, turning the sink on and washing her hands. Normally, she would've just put the heels on the floor under the booth's table and quickly switched shoes there, but she didn't want to be rude and do that in front of him, especially since she didn't know him that well…yet. She smiled at herself as she grabbed some paper towels and dried her hands off, recalling the fact that she used to be more concerned about doing things like changing her shoes where other people could see her, but after going through cancer and learning to let go of worrying about the little things, she didn't really care as much anymore. _"I guess thinking you might die will do that to you,"_ she thought briefly, grabbing her bag and heading to the door, blushing and grinning when she saw that he was waiting for her.

Goren had gotten wrapped up in thoughts about his current case when he swiftly spotted someone coming out of the bathroom out of the corner of his eye, and he turned and saw that it was Rosaline, trying to keep his face stoic as he watched her sashay her way back to the table. She looked just as beautiful as she had before, although the red high heels made her all that more alluring and appealing to him. He smirked inwardly when he saw her long, dark brown hair pulled up and out of her way, showing off the fact that her scar was now even more visible and ever-present, giving him the correct impression that she was not ashamed of it at all, but instead seemed to wear it proudly, like a medal of survivorship. He made his way out of the booth and stood up to meet her beside the table, noticing that she was now a few inches taller.

"Thank you for waiting for me," She quipped with a smile, reaching over to pull her purse and messenger bag towards her, placing the black bag back into where she'd had it. She heard him take a few steps around her and didn't think much of it until she straightened back up and turned to grab her coat off of the hook she'd placed it on, and froze when she saw him holding it on his arm.

"Mind if I help?" Goren asked, trying not to laugh at the surprised look she was giving him, silently concluding that she must not know very many men with manners.

Rosaline's shock melted from her face and dissolved into a deeper blush, giving him a wide smile. "Wow, thank you," she remarked, turning her back to face him and allowing him to help her put her arms into the coat, "What a gentleman!" she teased, letting out a soft laugh before turning to face him and placing her hands on her hips, "No, but really, you are. Thanks," She smiled at him before reaching for her messenger bag, slinging it across her body and then hooking her purse over her shoulder.

Goren watched her, noticing the dark red hue of her cheeks and chuckling inside. He waited patiently for her before motioning to the door with a small smile, "Can I walk you out?"

"Sure, of course," Rosaline replied, leading the way to the exit, and waving goodbye to the hostesses. One of them, Alison, gave her a thumbs-up and a wink when she saw Goren wasn't looking, causing her to chortle back a laugh in embarrassment, placing her hand on her face. She shook her head slightly before pushing the door open, walking out onto the not-as-busy sidewalk.

Goren eyed her curiously, knowing that the hostess must've done something when he'd turned and glanced back at the dining room to ensure nothing had been left behind. He had an idea of what it had probably been due to Rosaline's reaction, but chose not to mention it so she wouldn't feel any more embarrassed than she'd seemed. When the two stepped out onto the cold November air, he saw her shudder a bit and walked with her towards the edge of the sidewalk. "Let me help you hail a cab," He offered, watching her give him a friendly nod and a soft 'Okay.' He did so, and when the cab pulled up to the curb, he opened the door for her.

Rosaline stepped forward, pausing to turn and look at him. "Did you want to share a cab? I think we're both going the same way," she asked, not sure if he had planned on riding or walking the few blocks to his job. She knew she surely wasn't walking – it was _way_ too cold for her taste, and she wasn't about to deal with that _and_ trot in heels to the office.

Goren smiled at her offer; normally he would've walked to One P.P., but he was already late and didn't want to keep Eames waiting for him any more than she already had. He nodded and watched her get inside, waiting for her to scoot over before getting in himself. He listened to her give the cabbie the address and then did the same, realizing that her office was probably less than a block away from MCS.

"So, you guys usually have partners, don't you?" Rosaline spoke up, turning a bit to face him and adjusted her bags to not be completely over him, placing her purse on her lap. The guy was already almost touching the roof of the cab with his head; he needed all the space he could get.

Goren hesitated a moment, remembering all the times the women he'd dated asked him something similar, and ran as soon as they found out his partner was female. He'd learned the hard way that most women were too jealous to be comfortable with the man in their life having another woman in _their_ life, even if it wasn't for romantic reasons. "Alex Eames," He said simply, giving her the answer he always gave everyone else. Most women assumed it was a man by the name, and he was interested in seeing what her guess would be.

Rosaline eyed him inquisitively before letting out a soft laugh, getting a confused look in response. "You know, I bet it's a woman," She remarked, "Because I get the distinct feeling that you have to have a woman's touch to rein you in," she jibed, her lips widening into a grin, " _And_ I bet she's a total badass, too."

Goren stared at her as if she'd just grown two heads, for once in his life unsure of what to say and much less think. He'd expected her to say a lot of things, most of them along the line of asking Eames' gender, but never in his right mind had he even thought she'd say something like _that_. Yet, at the same time, he could tell that she wasn't being dishonest or trying to make him think something of her that she really wasn't – all his years on the force had given him the superpower of being able to smell out any bullshit. Still, he scrambled for something clever or astute to say, but just as an idea came into his wonderfully-yet-awfully intelligent mind, she interrupted his thought process with her words.

"Oh, here's my stop!" Rosaline said suddenly, already having paid the cabbie while Goren had been deep in his thinking. She stretched her right hand out for a handshake and gave him a cheeky grin. "Nice to meet you, Detective Goren. It was fun talking to you," she added cheerfully while he'd shaken her hand, just before turning and opening the door of the cab, stepping out into the chilly air. She again fixed the purse over her right shoulder and turned to shut the door, giving him a small, friendly wave. "See you around!" She called out, grin never dissipating, before closing the door and heading around the back of the cab towards the skyscraping office building. As she proceeded towards the main entrance, she pulled out her headphones again and pressed the button on her now-within-reach MP3 player, giving a few waves here and there as she returned other employees' greetings to her on her way in.

Goren had given her a quick "Same" to her last two statements, but he was pretty sure she hadn't heard his last one. He followed her with his eyes as best he could, before turning and looking out the taxi's right side window from where he was sitting, watching her put her head phones back on and letting out an amused chuckle upon seeing this. When she finally went inside the building, he ran his eyes upwards to the large letters above the entrance, uttering a quiet 'huh' before saying the word, "Microsoft." As the cab began to flow with traffic again, he turned his face away from the window and wrapped his first three fingers around his chin, his face changing into a pensive one while his mind began to wander. He didn't have much time to think, though, as the cab stopped barely a block away from their last one, and he pulled out his wallet.

The driver looked at him using the rearview mirror, and snickered at him, waving the back of his hand. "Hey buddy, she already paid in case you weren't looking."

Goren glanced up at the rearview mirror before muttering something and putting his wallet away, giving the driver a "Yeah, thanks" on his way out of the cab. He mentally cursed himself for both letting her pay _again_ _**and**_ being too distracted to notice. He really didn't like when either of those happened, especially the latter since, well, it _never_ happened. He walked inside One P.P. and made his way to MCS, walking inside and ignoring the odd and surprised looks he was given, giving an internal sigh of relief when he spotted Eames sitting at her desk. He threw his coat over the chair and put his heavy binder on the right side of his desk, letting out a tired-yet-happy sigh when he finally took a seat. "Sorry I'm late."

Eames eyed him quizzically, noticing the smile he was trying to hide behind the usual face he gave everyone else. She leaned forward and slightly up so she could see him well, instead of staring at her computer monitor. "Well, isn't this a first? I don't think this has ever happened in all the years we've been partners."

Goren let out a soft chuckle, raising his eyebrows and scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, well…it wasn't planned," he replied casually, pulling his chair forward and trying to avoid eye contact, knowing that she'd see the reason why as soon as their eyes met – she just knew him too well. He could feel her staring and pretended to arrange some papers on his desk, failing miserably considering the papers were already arranged, and when he noticed she hadn't budged he finally heaved a sigh and sunk back in his chair, looking at her and waiting for the barrage of questions.

Eames's face was full of mirth as she watched his unusual behavior, trying not to bust out laughing. She hadn't seen him act this way except when he was exhausted trying to figure out a case that he didn't have all the missing pieces of, but the difference this time was that he seemed both happy _and_ perplexed. Usually when he'd been with or on a date with a woman he'd come in beaming glee and proud of himself or pissed off (depending on how it'd gone), instead of his usual too-serious or seemingly depressed state, the latter of which only she could tell. Her curiosity grew with each second, and she gave him a knowing look when he finally met her eyes. "Please tell me it's not another idiot _babe_ who thinks Detectives spend all their time dumpster diving and that MCS stands for Major Cramp Symptoms."

Goren's lips widened into a large smile at her statement, chortling back an even bigger laugh. He didn't know how, but no matter what he was feeling, good or bad, Eames just knew the right thing to say (or not to say), and seemed to understand him sometimes even better than he did himself. He ran a hand through his slightly wavy, black hair before shaking his head in response. "No, the complete opposite, I think."

"You think?" Eames questioned, sitting back in her chair and rolling it to one side of her desk, so the monitor wouldn't be in the way as she gaped at him. "You mean you haven't figured her out already?"

Goren frowned and placed a thumb over his lips, pensively. "I thought I had, kind of," he replied, before placing his arms on his desk and looking directly at Eames, "Until she said something about you that I really didn't expect."

Eames gave him a startled look before crossing her arms, trying to recall any women that she knew that could give her partner such a hard time, and coming up with positively zero. "What?! Does she know me or something?"

Goren shook his head, grabbing a pen and tracing a small, four-pane window on a pad of sticky notes. "No, not at all, that's the thing," he replied, pausing his tracing to set the pen down on top of the pad and leaning back, seemingly copying Eames' stance and folding his arms as well. "She asked me if I had a partner, so I told her your name, 'Alex Eames.' All the other women I've met always assumed my partner was male and then got mad and left when they found out otherwise," he furrowed his eyebrows, seeing Eames' impatient look of 'Go on' as he continued, "But then she said, "I bet it's a woman, because I get the distinct feeling that you have to have a woman's touch to rein you in. _And_ I bet she's a total badass, too.'" He repeated Rosaline's words perfectly, even copying tone and inflection, giving Eames a frown when she began to crack up.

"This person that you met, she said that?" Eames asked, grinning at him, "Well it sure sounds like she figured _you_ out, Bobby. I would LOVE to meet her," she jested, watching him let out an exasperated sigh before smiling a little himself. "So what's her name?"

Goren looked down at the sticky note he'd drawn on before answering. "Rosaline Mansilla," he uttered quietly so only Eames could hear, raising his face slightly to look up at her.

"Mm, sounds like a Hispanic/Latina name. So, are you going to call her?" She asked, raising her eyebrows when she saw the brief look of panic that switched to disappointment on his face. "Ooooh, that's right…you're used to _them_ giving _you_ their phone number," she recalled, "It sounds like she's not that type. If you see her again, you're gonna have to do the asking," She nudged, placing her arms on her desk and leaning forward slightly. "I can already tell she's different from the others because she left _you_ a little stunned, for once. That's not easy to do," she jested, just before giving him a reassuring smile, "But seriously, you should try to meet up with her again. You already know, as your partner, I have your back – that goes without saying. And as your partner, I'm telling you to try and take a chance and have more than a night in the sack, like an _actual_ relationship," she paused, "Especially since she's probably the type that if you treat her like you only want a night in the sack, you might end up with a black eye."

Goren shifted uncomfortably and went back to tracing as he listened to Eames give him advice. It'd been so long since he'd had a relationship that he'd pretty much forgotten what it entailed, and he had to admit that Eames was absolutely right. He was a difficult person, he knew this even if nobody ever said it to his face, and most women he went on "dates" with simply wanted to skip the meal and dessert and get in bed, even after barely knowing him for 15 minutes. He knew how dangerous that type of thinking was firsthand through his job, but at the same time, because of his job he also hadn't really had the time to have a relationship and much less try to keep one. As he thought this, he remembered that during their conversation (literally) while eating breakfast, Rosaline hadn't once mentioned any friends, and besides her family, always mentioned her constant companion to be her dog. Maybe they were more similar than he'd originally thought, but was it possible that someone like him was compatible with someone like her?

He'd still been paying attention to Eames while pondering himself, considering that type of multitasking to be one of his best traits. Because of this he had to laugh at her mention of Rosaline giving him a black eye, nodding in agreement. "That's a good point," He replied, finally glancing up to see his partner's encouraging look, "We actually shared a cab, she works about a block away from here in those Microsoft offices. She said she's a computer engineer."

Eames raised her eyebrows at this, giving him an impressed look. She spotted Deakins exit his office and begin to head their way, leaning forward and whispering, 'Go for it, Goren!' before smiling at her partner and rolling herself back to be in front of her computer, just in time. "Hey Captain, I was just giving Goren an update on the Romney case."

Captain Deakins nodded at them both before looking over at Goren, "Happy to see you make it in, we were worried something had happened to you."

"Thanks Captain," Goren replied, giving him a nod and watching as he began to walk away and back to his office. He reached for his leather binder and stared at it for a second, re-immersing himself back into his thoughts. _"You have no idea…"_

* * *

 **A/N: I hope everybody likes it so far - I'm a big GorenxEames lover, but I thought it'd be interesting to introduce someone else and see where it went. Please tell me your thoughts and suggestions in a review, even if it's just one word! :) Hugs to you all!**


	2. A Little Bit of Me, Part 1

Chapter 2

 **A/N: Thanks for those of you that read, and especially to Daisy w for reviewing - I hope you like this chapter, too! This chap is a little 'filler' as they get to know each other, and we have a short little time skip to help that as well. This is Part 1 of most likely 2; I had to separate it into two chapters because, otherwise, I would've ended up with a crazy long, 16k+ -word chapter or something silly like that! Anyway, I'm sorry for taking so long to post another chapter, but please enjoy, and let me know what you guys think!**

* * *

Goren casually made his way towards the quaint café he'd been in a few days earlier, silently wondering if Rosaline would be there that day. He'd stopped by the day before, but after asking the hostess, he'd been told that she hadn't stopped in, and most likely wouldn't since it was a little past her usual time. He'd asked the hostess a few questions about Rosaline, trying to see what he could learn about her to satisfy his never-diminishing curiosity, but had merely learned that the young woman tended to keep to herself, either reading a book or listening to music while she ate – sometimes even both. As he opened the glass door, he saw the same hostess, Alison, greet him with a smile.

"Well hello again! I have a feeling you're going to become one of our regulars," the girl jibed, grinning when she heard Goren chuckle. She turned to look over her shoulder and pointed in the direction of the very back corner booth, giving him a nod. "She's here today. Would you like me to go ask her if you can sit at the same table?"

"No, that's okay. I'll do it myself – but thanks!" Goren replied, giving her a nod in return before walking past her and towards the booth. As he approached, he noticed her talking to someone in front of her across the table, and slowed his pace slightly, not wanting to interrupt or intrude if she was with anybody. He continued, albeit hesitantly, and finally regained his normal pace when he didn't see anyone's head over the back of the booth, wondering if it was a child. When he reached the table, however, he couldn't help but let out a loud laugh and inward sigh of relief, glancing at Rosaline with a smile. "Mind if I join you?"

Rosaline hadn't seen him approach until after she'd put a piece of food in her mouth, and when she looked up to see who had come up to her, her eyes widened slightly and she covered her mouth with her fingertips, trying not to laugh at the fact that he'd chosen the worst time to ask her a question. She held up her index finger, making an embarrassed face as she finished her chewing before swallowing the bite of egg, finally letting out the laugh that she'd bitten back so she wouldn't do so with her mouth full. "Hey again! Sure, of course. You'll just have to ask my boyfriend here to move or scoot over," she teased, pointing at the 15-pound dog she sat across, who kept curiously looking between her and Goren.

Goren flashed a quirky smile before crouching down to be close to eye-level with the pooch, crossing his arms over his knees. "Say, Sercio, do you mind if I join you and your girlfriend here for breakfast?" He asked, watching as the dog merely approached him before reaching out and placing a paw on one of his arms, tail wagging before he turned to look at Rosaline.

Rosaline's eyes widened, and she set down the glass of water she was about to take a drink of. "Oh my god," she exclaimed, hand still holding the cup, "He's never done that to anyone besides my family before. He's pretty protective of me, I think, so he usually just growls or stares at any _guys_ , especially, that come up to me. At least when he's not sleeping – he's a pretty calm, sleepy dog, believe it or not. He must like you, though, or trust you…probably both." She beamed at Goren before watching him rise back up to his full height, just before Sercio walked to the side of the booth closest to the wall and sat back down.

"Sounds like he's a good judge of character," Goren replied, sitting down and making sure not to squeeze the pup against the wall, quietly laughing when said pup merely climbed onto his lap and curled up into a donut, closing his eyes.

Rosaline pointed at Goren with a wink, "He probably got that from me. Although I should say I'm more of his mother than girlfriend, he's definitely just like a kid sometimes," she sighed, rolling her eyes and earning a chuckle from the guy sitting across from her.

"Do you have kids?" Goren replied, silently hoping she'd say no. Not because he didn't like kids – on the contrary, he tended to get along just fine with them since he acted like a big kid himself sometimes, but because he didn't want to be an absent father figure if she did. He mentally slapped himself for jumping way ahead as if they were already together, reminding himself that he didn't even know if she was attracted to him or not.

"Oh goodness no," Rosaline replied, waving a hand for emphasis, "Don't get me wrong, I like kids and all, but I'm just not sure if I want any myself," she paused, glancing towards the ceiling and muttering 'if I can even have any' before continuing, "I have a niece and nephew that are my brother's, and they're more than enough right now," she added jokingly, lowering her head to meet his gaze again, "I just don't know if, with my hectic schedule, I could even give them a stable home. Kids need that…although I'm sure you know all about hectic schedules, yours is probably worse than mine," She gave him a playful nod of her head, noticing the thoughtful look on his face.

Goren listened to her carefully, surprised at the fact she hadn't given him the 'I want kids and I want them now' speech he'd heard so many times before, often on first 'dates,' if he could even call them that. He didn't miss her murmured remark, though, and figured he'd see how far he could push. "If you can even have any? Why's that?" He asked, placing an elbow on the table and setting his chin in his palm. He had a feeling it had something to do with the treatment she'd received for her cancer, but he didn't want to assume.

"Weeell, as you probably guessed, chemo wasn't _all_ that nice to me. Although the doctors said they gave me a pretty light dosage, which I tend to believe…mainly since they also told me my hair probably wouldn't fall out because of the dosage and the type of chemo drug it was. Sure enough, it didn't," She replied, reaching up and grabbing a lock of hair to stare at, "I still got on birth control just in case I'm crazy fertile or something, not that I've needed it at all," She mumbled, letting go of her hair before looking back at Goren with an embarrassed look on her face. "Sorry, that was probably TMI, huh?. I tend to be _too_ much of an 'open book' sometimes when it's anything related to my treatment."

Goren laughed before waving his free hand dismissively, "Oh no, it doesn't bother me at all. That's mild and pretty normal compared to some of what I've heard on the job," He added, moving his free hand back to pet the napping dog on his lap. He noticed Rosaline was about to reply when the waitress came up and asked him if he wanted food or a beverage, and he ordered both, waiting for her to leave before looking back at the young woman before him. "No Jason anymore, huh?"

Rosaline snickered at his question, shaking her head and holding back the laugh she so badly wanted to let out. "Nope. I guess you were right, he's too jealous to serve me anymore, even when I don't come in with anyone else," she shrugged then beamed up at him, "So, is today your day off, too?" she asked, referring to the shirt and jeans he wore before pointing at herself, glancing down to her jeans and form-fitting v-neck.

"It is, actually. I'm usually off on Saturdays and Sundays unless I get called in, which happens…a lot," he remarked, chuckling while scratching the back of his head. The two of them chatted about what they did on their days off while his drink and food came, Rosaline pointing out that she liked to take longer trips to walk Sercio and stay home and either play video games, or watch movies and read, sometimes even all of the above. Goren pointed out the similarities between what they enjoyed doing, as well as mentioning that he liked to go to the library and read up on anything he didn't already know about, sometimes even going to magic shows if there was a good one around town.

By the time they were done, they'd finished their food and the remaining portions were more than cold, both of them too engrossed in learning about each other to realize how much time had passed. What snapped them out of it was Sercio, who finally woke up and stretched before sitting on Goren's lap, looking at Rosaline attentively while wagging his tail, gently thumping it on Goren's chest.

"Oh, he probably needs to use the bathroom," Rosaline spoke up, reaching for the receipt that the waitress had left on the table a while earlier. Her hand was stopped by Goren's hand being placed on top of hers, and she looked up from where the paper was to meet his gaze.

"Hold on, I said I would pay this time, remember?" Goren pointed out, giving her a smile before nodding towards Sercio, "Do you want to take him outside and I'll meet you out there?"

Rosaline almost missed the hopeful note in his voice before slowly, reluctantly moving her hand away while letting her fingers just barely graze his own, trying to be sly as she did so. "Alright, deal," She replied, grabbing the pup's harness and leash out of her purse. She slid out of the booth and reached for Sercio's dog-coat, which was on top of her own coat on the hook, and turned to Goren with a laugh. "Now don't judge me, but I have to put a coat on him since his hair is kind of thin," she grinned, taking the dog from Goren, who'd held him up to her. She set him down on the side of the booth she'd just been sitting on and put on his harness then his coat, slipping the harness loop through the coat's sewn-in hole before hooking his leash onto it. She then grabbed her own coat and put it on, watching as Goren pulled out his wallet, and picked up Sercio before gently placing her hand on Goren's upper arm, whispering 'I'll see you outside' before walking toward the door.

She passed by the hostess podium, thanking Alison for letting her bring Sercio in with her, as she usually did when she had him, and trying not to blush when she gave her yet another thumbs-up while pointing in Goren's direction. She hurried out of the café and into the street, setting her dog down and letting him take her where he wanted to pee, which right then was a patch of grass with a planted tree in the middle, about 15 feet away from the entrance. When he was done, she crouched down and scratched his head, pulling out a small bag of treats from her coat pocket and giving him one before she stood up and turned slightly, noticing Goren approaching her.

"Thank you for treating me to breakfast," She spoke, giving him a happy smile as she looked up at his face – he was so much taller when she didn't have heels on.

"No problem, I'm just glad I finally ran into you," he replied, noticing the warm pink blush that began to grace her cheeks.

"Finally?" she asked curiously, giving him a smile, "You were looking for me?"

"Yes, something like that," Goren laughed and looked away, glancing at the floor, "I say _finally_ but it was mainly yesterday, since we met the day before that. I don't want you to think I'm a stalker or anything," he reached up and rubbed the back of his head, looking back at her, "I just enjoyed talking to you and actually having an enthralling, intelligent conversation for once."

Rosaline's blush deepened as her lips parted slightly in surprise, and she almost struggled to come up with an answer since she'd, frankly, never been told that before. She was used to every guy, and pretty much every person, whom she told she'd had cancer to pretend to be nice and then never hear from or see them again, yet in front of her stood someone who not only was genuinely interested in what she had to say, but had actually _seeked her out_ to hear some more and actually spend time with her. She was about to – at last – say something when they were both distracted by the sound of a phone ringing, and she looked from Goren's face to his hand after he pulled a cell phone out.

"Sorry, I have to take this," Goren spoke up, inwardly cursing his job and his phone for intruding into what was hopefully going to be Rosaline's positive response to his flattering remarks. He answered his cell and listened to the caller relay the news that he was needed at a crime scene ASAP, and let out a sigh after answering and hanging up. He looked back to Rosaline, who gave him an understanding smile, and rubbed the back of his neck tensely, giving her an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, they just called me to a case," He paused briefly, having to gather the nerve he normally already had when having to ask a woman out (instead of vice-versa), "But hey, listen, I was wondering if…you didn't want to get together sometime? If you'd let me take you out to dinner," he paused, noticing the unusual anxiety that prickled throughout his tall frame, "like on a date," he blabbed out nervously, trying not to slap himself for saying those last four words.

Rosaline felt a sudden, unexpected wave of the butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling course throughout her entire body as she listened to him ask her out. She let out a quiet, nervous laugh before grinning up at him and giving him a swift nod. "Yes, I would love to…on one condition," she added sneakily, noticing the quick worried look that came and went on Goren's face, "Instead of going out to dinner, why don't we cook it? You and me, at my place. How's that sound?"

Goren let out a silent sigh of relief before smirking, "Yeah, that sounds great. How about tomorrow night?" he responded, just before throwing out a hint, "I can call you to make sure we're still on, in case anything comes up with either of our jobs?"

Rosaline's lightbulb went off in her head and she threw her hands up in surprise, Sercio's leash braceleted around her wrist. "Oh yeah, you might need my phone number for that, huh?" She joked, reaching over into her purse and grabbing out a pen as well as a small card-holding clip, pulling out one of her company-provided business cards. She then turned it over and wrote down her cell phone number as well as her address before handing it to him, "That's my home address and personal cell phone number on the back. The ones on the front are for my office and work, so just ignore them," she smiled, watching him take he card and put it in his wallet for safekeeping, "Don't keep your partner waiting too long, Detective Goren," she teased, watching him laugh before doing so herself.

"Call me Bobby," Goren replied with a grin, figuring that he could trust her enough to give her the nickname people close to him used.

"In that case, you can call me Ros, if you'd like. I got that nickname, for some reason, way back in high school and it's stuck ever since, even though it kinda sounds like a guy's name. But hey, I don't mind if you want to call me Rosaline, either," she gave him a wink, noticing Sercio beginning to gently tug her in the direction of the nearby park, "Thanks again for breakfast! I really enjoyed chatting with you, again. I'll see you tomorrow!" She called out as she began to be led away from him, watching as he gave her a small wave before turning and heading off to hail a cab.

* * *

Almost a month had passed since Goren had asked Rosaline out on a date. They'd been unable to actually make it happen because of both their schedules, especially Goren's very hectic one, but in the meantime they'd chosen to meet up for lunch (and sometimes even dinner, as a break from work or sometimes after work) every day that they both worked. Rosaline had told Goren that she could take her lunch whenever she wanted, so if he wanted to, she'd be happy to join him – and _of course_ he wanted to, and so joined her on the days that Eames didn't bring him something to eat, i.e. when the cases weren't too involved. This became almost a ritual for them – Goren calling her to meet up at any restaurant between both of their jobs since they were so close by, and the two of them spending at least 30 minutes catching up, talking about themselves or about work-related situations, although of course Goren was sure not to divulge too much detail on any of his cases.

Goren had learned a lot about her and about her family, as she'd told him a good amount, and deduced that her and her parents were very close, and that they all often thought about their parent country, Guatemala. She'd told him where in the country they were from – San Marcos –, and he'd taken it upon himself to go through the encyclopedias he had at home and learn more about the country, as well as going to the library to see what books they had to offer that he didn't already own. He'd been markedly curious about the food from the country, particularly because Ros had mentioned them cooking together for their date-that-never-happened, or rather, their date-that-hadn't- _yet_ -happened.

Even Thanksgiving had come and passed, and both of them spent it with their respective families – Goren with his mother (and brother, if he even showed up), and Rosaline with her immediate and extended family – her parents, Carlo and Sulma, her brother, Carlo Jr., and her brother's kids, Mirabela and Carlo III(the third). Ros had told him a small chunk of her family life during their meet ups, and since he was so attentive, he undeniably remembered the details well: Her brother had broken up with his girlfriend, the mother of his kids, a few months beforehand because she'd been using drugs, so she wasn't around to join them for the holiday that year. Not that her brother was a saint in any way – he'd gotten mixed up with a gang when he was younger and dropped out of school, eventually getting his GED. He'd tried unsuccessfully to leave the gang when his first child, Carlo III was born, and ended up finding out that gangs didn't joke when they said, "member for life." The mother of his kids had been in the same gang and that's how they'd met, but she'd gotten involved with drugs early, even before she'd joined, only staying sober during the pregnancies and shortly after giving birth so she could feed the baby, and immediately picking back up as soon as she decided she could use baby formula. He could tell that she had been slightly reluctant to tell him those last certain details, but when he'd given her the short 'I understand, my older brother has that problem too' statement in a hush, she'd smiled supportively and hadn't mentioned it further, which he'd appreciated. He'd honestly been surprised with himself that he'd divulged such an intimate detail of his life, but he'd felt he wanted her to know that she wasn't the only one to have dealt with those problems, while simultaneously recognizing that it felt good for him to know that too.

It was now the middle of December, and Goren had actually gotten off work much earlier than usual, even with a tiny bit of sunlight left in the day. He walked toward the curb to hail a cab, trying to decide whether to follow through with the idea he'd just had, and after some internal deliberation, chose to actually go for it for once in his life. After finally getting one cabbie's attention, he slid into the back seat and looked in the rearview mirror, noticing the driver looking at him before asking him where he wanted to go.

"Do you know if there's a grocery store pretty close to this address?" he asked, giving them Rosaline's home address. The cabbie gave an affirmative reply and began to drive once Goren gave him the go, reaching his destination not too long after, and pulling up to the front of the store. Goren paid the driver and thanked him, making sure not to leave his signature leather binder behind, and headed into the store, grabbing a cart and placing his leather binder in the raised spot where young children normally sat.

He unzipped said binder and grabbed out a folded-up piece of paper from the very back, behind the pad of paper, opening it and reading the contents as he entered the store. He maneuvered his way through the aisles easily, grabbing everything that was on his list, and after paying the cashier and thanking them, he stepped out and noticed the sun had been going down and was now almost completely gone. He made his way toward the sidewalk and began to walk in the direction that Ros's house was, merely a couple of blocks away from where he was.

As he approached the steps, he heard some soft music coming from the two-story brownstone, as well as a voice that sounded very much like Rosaline's.

"Aww, don't give me that look! You know you're my baby, right?"

A chill ran down Goren's spine as he heard those words spoken by what sounded like Rosaline, and his mind immediately envisioned that there was another man in her home with her. The thought of that both angered and saddened him, which, he had to note, most likely meant that he was beginning to develop some feelings for her; otherwise, if it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have cared whether they were dating someone besides him – they weren't exclusive. And although the same could be said about his relationship with Ros, he knew _he_ didn't want to see anyone else, and he hoped she didn't, either. This self-admission made him think hard about whether he should finally ask her if she _wants_ to be exclusive, or even see him as a potential mate; or better yet, significant other – mate sounded too animalistic for his taste.

He figuratively slapped himself out of his self-induced stupor and stopped at the foot of the short stairs that led up to the door, his first thought being how she could afford such a nice place, followed by the reminder of the logo on the front of the building she worked in. He pulled out the address from his coat pocket and double-checked it to ensure he was at the right place, quietly affirming that he was as he put the card back in his pocket. He was about to walk up the stairs leading to the door when he heard her voice again, freezing him in place with his hand on the railing.

"Pretty please? I love you!"

He noticed the unnerving feeling of dread overcome him momentarily, before attempting to shake it off and glancing toward the window, noticing that the blinds were down but open. He slowly moved his hand back to his side and walked toward the large, old-styled window, the music getting slightly louder as he did so. He casually peeked in once he was next to it, not wanting Rosaline to notice him in case she looked in his direction, and saw her standing a few feet away from a couch with her arms outstretched, as if waiting for someone. He tilted his head enquiringly, wondering who was there, all while trying to ignore the anxiety biting at his throat, recalling the fact that he hadn't felt like this in a very long time. Then again, he acknowledged, he hadn't been interested in someone this much in a while either, much less for this long – the usual women he 'dated,' if he could call it that, were one night dates, stands, or both; or, if they managed to get him curious enough to spend more time with them, it usually lasted at most another 'date', until he easily saw that there were no brains behind their beauty.

He paused his mile-a-minute thoughts long enough to narrow his eyes slightly, so he could focus better on seeing who was with her, and he'd begun to wonder if they were laying down on the couch when he finally saw just who she was talking to. He'd been focusing mainly on her when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, a small white dog appeared and slowly walked towards Rosaline, wearing a look that could only best be described as the dog version of an eye-roll and a sigh. Goren's lips curled up into a wide grin and he chuckled, not only at the sight before him – Rosaline taking Sercio's front paws and pretending to dance back and forth with him to the music –, but mainly at himself, for being so suspicious about something that turned out to be, well, _nothing_. He shook his head a bit before walking away from the window and back toward the door, heading up the steps and taking a deep breath before knocking on the door, releasing the air after he'd done so.

He could faintly hear Rosaline say 'Huh, I wonder who that is…they probably have the wrong address' before the volume of the music dropped to a much softer level, and he straightened his shoulders slightly as he heard the clicks of the locks being unlatched. Immediately after, he stared at the knob as it turned and then the door opened, revealing Rosaline's petite form looking up at him in confusion. He met her gaze and instantly her expression changed – her eyes seemed to brighten, her cheeks quickly turned a light shade of red, and her plump pink lips widened so she was beaming up at him, obviously happy that he was there.

"Bobby! What are you doing here?" Rosaline asked excitedly, letting out a few nervous laughs before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear bashfully, taking some steps back and pulling the door with her. "Come in, come in! Let's get you out of the cold!"

Goren smiled at her, not expecting her to have such a positive reaction to seeing him, especially without notice. He thanked her and stepped inside, immediately feeling the warmth of the room envelop him, and noticed a fireplace in the near distance, although it wasn't currently lit. He set the bags of groceries down and began to shed his coat, following Rosaline's direction to place it on a coat rack near the door, and turned to look at her, noticing the way she was looking at him. He straightened up and put his hands in his trouser pockets, smiling and trying not to smirk. "What's that look for?"

Rosaline's expression changed quickly, trying to hide the fact that she'd just been practically drooling while looking at him. "What? What are you talking about?"

Goren gave in to the smirk and took a couple steps forward, moving his hand around a bit to each spot he mentioned while pointing at her. "Well, your cheeks were flushed, your eyes were practically glowing and your pupils wide, your mouth was agape just slightly, and you were staring at _me_ the entire time…that's what I'm talking about."

Rosaline glared at him playfully before letting out a loud sigh, crossing her arms. "Only you would notice such subtle things..." She replied, turning her head so she was looking at him out of the corner of her eyes, "It's pretty cute, to be honest. Although sometimes pretty _annoying_ when I don't want you to notice something, like just _now_ ," she added, giving him a knowing smile before turning to face him and placing her hands on her hips. "Don't go getting a big ego now, but if you _must_ know," She paused, her cheeks getting an even deeper shade of red as she looked to the side before uttering, as quietly as she could, "You just…look…very…handsome…and sexy. I mean, you always look attractive, but I guess the suit just amps it up. Is that weird? That's weird. ForgetIsaidanything!" She stammered, trying hard not to meet his gaze before she suddenly started walking forward and slightly past him, towards the bags he'd placed on the ground. "Oh well would you look at this, you came bearing gifts! What's in here?" She asked, trying to change the subject before she picked the bags up and turned to face him, holding them up with a smile on her face and pretending nothing happened.

Goren bit his tongue back from laughing, her reaction being almost too much to hold himself back from. He figured he'd let this one go, for once in his life, especially since she wasn't someone he was interrogating – and although his usual self kept nagging at him to keep poking and prodding at her until she told him all he wanted to know, he'd often have to remind himself that even if he considered her a bit of an enigma, like a puzzle, he could take his time in trying to find the solution. Almost everyone he encountered, especially anyone he'd tried to date, found his "know-it-all" attitude unappealing and very irritating, which is why any type of relationship he'd tried to have never lasted more than a few days, if that; well, besides Eames, of course, although he didn't know if that was all by her choice. Rosaline, however, didn't seem to mind it very much – and he could easily tell by the way she reacted – but instead, she'd respond to his 'thoughtful, knowledgeable prompts' with something he hadn't been expecting at all (something he really enjoyed and sometimes almost seemed to hunger for), which is why he couldn't seem to keep himself away from her. The more he thought about it, the more he'd begun to come to terms with the fact that she might be one 'puzzle' he could never solve; and, truthfully and admittedly, he might even prefer it that way.

He paused his methodical thinking long enough to answer her, "Yeah, sorry I dropped by uninvited, but I got out of work early for once and figured I'd surprise you. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" He asked looking around, although he already knew what she'd say.

"No, of course not! Sercio and I were just…dancing," Rosaline laughed embarrassedly, placing a hand on the back of her neck before glancing at the floor, "I'm so glad you decided to stop by…it's really sweet," she added, looking back up at him and feeling the warmth on her cheeks intensify once more. She peered at the bags in her hands, giving him a smile before looking inside, eyes widening. "What do we have…? Wait, no. These are not. These are NOT the ingredients for Jocón…oh my god, yes they are!" Rosaline exclaimed, snapping her head up to look at Goren in awe, "How did you—Where did you—I just…don't even know what to say, other than _I am impressed_."

Goren gave her a coy smile, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, "Well I can't reveal _all_ my secrets…" He grinned, getting a gentle, lighthearted arm push from her in return – he wasn't about to tell her he'd spent the last few weeks reading all about Guatemalan culture and food, among other related subjects, just to impress her.

Rosaline began to walk in the direction of the kitchen, when she immediately stopped and placed her hand on his upper arm, looking at him. "You want to come with me to the kitchen? I can give you the grand tour once I put what needs to be in the fridge," She asked, getting a nod in response, and walking towards her large kitchen, setting the food on the counter once she got there. "Now are you going to cook for me, or were you wanting to do this together?" She asked, giving him a playful wink.

Goren grinned roguishly before leaning against the counter and crossing his arms, watching her place items into the fridge, "Well I figured I'd learn from the best."

Rosaline let out a lively, good-humored laugh as she continued to place ingredients up, "Ohhh-ho-ho! Now I _know_ you're full of crap. You've never had my food, how do you know it tastes good?" She replied, sticking her tongue out at him slightly as she placed the last items on the counter, just before turning to face him and pointing at him with a smirk. "For all you know it tastes like shit."

Goren laughed loudly, his spirited voice almost echoing throughout the rooms nearby, "Touché mademoiselle. You're right about that! But I guess you could say, I just have a feeling."

Rosaline set her hands on her hips, smiling knowingly at him before uttering a quiet 'Suuure' and walking past him into the dining room adjacent to the kitchen. "So, would you like the 'grand tour' now?"

"Looks like I'll need it," He replied simply, following her steps into the dining room and looking at the spacious (especially in New York standards) living room across from where he stood.

"Mmm, don't get too impressed," she replied, walking towards the stairs that led up to the second floor and motioning for him to follow her, "My employer pays for this place. They threw it in with my contract when I first started with them, and I've been here ever since, going on over 6 years now, if I remember correctly. They hired me fresh out of college," she added, pointing briefly at the bathroom near the stairs and another room with the door closed, "Oh, there's the downstairs bathroom and a storage closet. I use it for blankets and such," She smiled before walking up the stairs and stepping into the upstairs hallway, showing him each of the four rooms upstairs, one of which was a bathroom. "So here's my office, the upstairs bathroom, and this other room I use mainly as a library and guest room," She added, pointing into each corresponding room that all had their doors open, before heading to the other side of the hallway, "And over here is my bedroom. Well, mine and Sercio's bedroom, to be exact," She added, stepping inside the roomy space and pointing at another door, "Back there is the private bathroom, as well as a closet with all my clothes and shoes and junk, and who knows what else." She smiled at him and let out a sigh, placing her hands on her hips, "I don't think I could afford half this place unless I was some type of executive in the company; I don't even wanna _know_ how much it costs. They offered me the choice between this place or another with an extra bedroom, but I told them I'd take this one. I figured someone with a family could use the extra bedroom, plus it was a little further away from work."

Goren nodded, honestly surprised that anyone would turn down a bigger place that they didn't have to pay for, but noted that her reasoning was actually pretty noble, which made him itch to ask a question he'd always been curious about, as he followed her back down the stairs and to the kitchen. "You could've always taken the bigger place to prepare for someday having a family of your own," He prodded, making sure to keep his tone neutral so she wouldn't know his stance on the issue.

Rosaline pursed her lips to the side and shrugged, letting out another sigh as they stepped into the kitchen. "Yeah, that's true, but that would mean I'd actually considered having a family someday, which…I really haven't, to be honest," She started, pulling out some of the veggies Goren had brought out of the fridge, both of them now back in the kitchen. "I don't know if I do want kids…my brother is four years younger than me and he has two, and I love them to death, but my niece and nephew have so much energy, I don't know if I'm too much of a couch potato to keep up," She laughed, rinsing the veggies before placing them on a griddle pan to roast, "Not to mention the biggest culprit – all the treatment gave me fatigue, which hasn't completely gone away and might never, so the two combined are a recipe for what most people consider laziness," she chuckled before continuing, "When I adopted Sercio, I told the lady that I wanted a dog who would be the type to just lay on the couch with me while I read a book or watched something on TV, especially because I adopted him not too long before I started treatment, and I'd been warned by my doctors about what was coming."

Goren listened to her pensively, arms crossed as he rested against the counter, watching her begin prepwork on the meal. "Is that why you named him Protector?" He asked, remembering that he'd noted that was what the name Sercio meant when she'd first told him about the dog.

Rosaline paused for a moment before grinning and dripping some olive oil into the deep pan she'd grabbed, "Why am I not surprised you'd know that…actually, I _am_ surprised you didn't point it out when I first told you his name," She turned, placing a hand on her hip before noticing how cool and relaxed he looked just laying against her countertop, "Hm, you look too comfortable. Wash those hands and start chopping these up for me," she started, pulling out a board and knife for him to use, setting them on the counter before grabbing some of the veggies out of the colander in the sink. "But yes, that's pretty much the main reason. I also figured that, as lame as this sounds, since my doctors would be saving my life I should save one too, which is why I adopted. I knew he'd protect me and look out for me, regardless of his size," she continued, adding some uncooked rice to the pan with the hot olive oil inside to toast it.

Goren held up his hands in an 'I give up' motion before grinning and rinsing them, just after rolling up his sleeves, and began cutting up the vegetables, "So you already knew your doctors would save your life?" He asked, remembering some of the people he'd met that had had cancer had often felt their life had ended, which was the opposite of what she was relaying to him.

"Yeah, something like that," She glanced over her shoulder and smiled, before adding some chicken broth to the pan as well as peas and the corn kernels he'd cut off the pre-cooked cobs, placing a lid on it so they would all cook, "I guess I just never saw cancer as an unsurmountable thing. I told myself there was still a lot more I wanted to do with my life, and I wasn't about to let that diagnosis stop me. Adopting him just gave me another reason to live, along with the fact that I couldn't bear to see my parents in so much pain. They were by my side through it all, and I had to be strong for them, even though they felt they had to be strong for me…it wasn't easy, not at all, but in the end…" she paused, turning halfway and reaching out to him, pointing at him with the large wooden spoon she'd used to move and toast the rice, "I made cancer my bitch, pardon my French." She then turned back around and set the spoon down briefly before walking over to the fridge, pulling out the pieces of chicken he'd also brought, "Sercio really lived up to his name, though!"

Goren had listened reflectively, both surprised and enthralled by the woman in the same room as him. He hadn't ever met someone like her, who lived life with such a tenacity, yet didn't want to climb over others to get to the top, if she even wanted to get to the top. She wanted to be who she was, not what anyone else expected her to be, and seemed to really cherish her life, in a very honest and simple way. He couldn't help but smile at her next-to-last statement, her spunky attitude drawing him in, and it wasn't until her last statement that he understood that the small dog sleeping on the couch meant more to her than he'd originally realized, leading to his next question. "How so?"

Rosaline pulled on some disposable gloves before she began putting the chicken to cook, throwing them away once she was done handling the raw product. "Well, it was after I'd had surgery, and I was in the middle of radiation and chemo," she began, taking the roasted veggies and placing them into a blender with various fragrant, flavorful spices, "My dad was staying with me that week, since my mom and him were taking turns while going to work, right? He was in the guest room, and we had all talked about leaving the doors open so I could just yell at him if I needed something, and it'd worked fine so far since the guest room is closest to my bedroom," She continued, draining the water from the chicken and adding the sauce to it from the blender, "Except this day…it was the middle of the night, and I woke up in so much pain I couldn't move. Normally I could've yelled for him, but for some reason, it just came out in whispers, and it felt like I was paralyzed or something. I can't even explain it," she added, looking back at Goren who had just finished washing the knife and cutting board and asking him to lower the temp a little on the rice before she continued, "Thankfully, Sercio was there, sleeping on my bed with me as always. He got up, came up to me like he was checking on me, and I guess he saw the look on my face or _something_ because he practically bounded off the bed and ran into the guest room, next thing I know my dad is racing into my bedroom. Which, on a side note, was really funny because he's not the most athletic and he was shuffling in with his sandals and socks," she laughed softly as she paused, giving Goren a quick thanks as he helped her clean the blender, "My dad told me later that Sercio had jumped onto his bed and licked his face to wake him up, then ran back into my room and my dad followed him to check on me, which is when he was able to see that I needed help…and some pain medicine," she paused, chuckling softly and shaking her head, "Crazy, right? I thought stuff like that only happened in movies."

Goren looked at her pensively, watching her as she stirred the pot of chicken and sauce with a smile on her face. He put his back to the counter and leaned against it, crossing his arms. "You're right, he did live up to his name," he replied, leaning to the side just enough to peek at the dog passed out on his side on the couch, before straightening back up and looking at Rosaline, "You almost make it sound like it was a walk in the park, even though I know it wasn't."

Rosaline paused, turning slightly and placing a hand on her hip, using the other to stir the food every so often. "Oh, it definitely wasn't, that's for sure. It was probably the hardest thing I'll ever have dealt with in my life," She paused, glancing at the ceiling, "the hardest part wasn't the treatment, or the throwing up, or having a feeding tube in my nose after surgery," she turned back to the stove, leaving the ladle inside the pot she'd just been stirring and pulling out a wooden skewer from the drawer next to her, "Even though that last one was a real pain in the ass. But if I had to pick, I'd say the hardest thing was probably having to make a Living Will…well, no…not making the will itself. It was definitely having to ask my parents to read it, then sign it at the end to make sure they understood what I wanted in case I didn't make it," she lifted the lid off the pan the rice was in and used the wooden skewer to poke the rice, checking to see if it was done. She touched the skewer after removing it and grinned triumphantly, tossing it into the trashcan nearby before placing the lid back on the pan and reaching over to turn the burner off. "My dad was able to do it, but my mom wouldn't read it. I found out she finally did after I went into surgery, but I can't even imagine how hard it was for her," she shook her head, opening a cupboard to her right and grabbing out a set of plates, "You know, I'm one of those types of people that always tries to find the silver lining in things…that whole ordeal brought me and my parents closer, and that's the silver lining. But, at the same time, my brother and I aren't as close as we used to be…I think he distanced himself from me so he wouldn't take it hard in case I didn't make it," she set the plates on the kitchen counter before leaning over and stirring the pot again, suddenly gasping.

"Oh crap! I forgot the tortillas!" She exclaimed, opening the fridge and mumbling a curse word under her breath when she realized she didn't have any. She glanced over at Goren with an apologetic smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as usual, "I'm gonna have to make some real quick. I hope you don't mind me having to use instant masa," She laughed when he smiled and shook his head at her, then walked over to a different cupboard and pulled out some masa flour, just before she grabbed a mixing bowl and poured some flour into it. "Anyway, my brother's best friend had a younger brother who had cancer, and he didn't make it," she sighed, adding some water to the masa after putting the bag of flour back into the pantry, "So I think that had a lot to do with it. My brother saw his best friend go through all of that, and he saw how much it affected him. Both him and his best friend were in that gang, so you have to put up the whole macho front, as you probably know, right? And that's hard to do when someone you love is dying. I think my brother just didn't want to be seen as weak, even though all of their _compadres_ had his best friend's back through the whole thing. But it seems the easiest thing to do is to distance yourself so you can't feel anything," she continued, heating up the same pan she'd used to roast the veggies before making a little masa ball and clapping it in between her hands to make a tortilla. She then placed it on the pan to cook and began the process all over again, "I guess I can't really blame him, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt. Our relationship hasn't been the same ever since…pretty much the opposite of what happened with me and my parents."

She turned over the tortillas to cook on the other side, glancing at Goren who was watching and looking at her intently, "Hey Thinker, would you mind grabbing me the tortilla warmer? It's in there," she laughed, using her right foot to reach and poke one of the cupboards under the counter, while rolling another masa ball, "It's super colorful, you can't miss it. I'm not boring you with all of this, am I?" She asked, reversing roles and eyeing him curiously as he walked over and looked into the cabinet she'd pointed out.

Goren realized this was probably one of the few times in his life he'd been quiet for a long time while _not_ trying to put piece something together, literally or figuratively, the latter in terms of his job. He had been listening to her attentively, almost transfixed by her words and the way she was so open with her experience, not to mention mature and reflective about her and other people's actions and reactions to her situation. He had already formulated numerous questions he wanted to ask her, but wanted to wait until she was done speaking, not wanting to interrupt her or disrupt the uniquely beautiful way she weaved a story, even if she didn't mean to.

"Found it," He exclaimed, pulling out the cylindrical object with a brightly colored lid, just before standing back up and setting it on the counter, shaking his head. "The opposite, actually. I'm really interested, I just haven't said anything 'cause I didn't want to interrupt you. Figured I'd save my questions for last, until you're done," He gave her his usual amused smile before lifting the lid and grabbing a cloth he'd spotted in the drawer she'd grabbed the skewer out of, placing it inside the warmer. He knew that it was custom to place a cloth inside a warmer, since the tortillas would be placed inside the cloth then wrapped up in it to keep them warm, just before the lid was put back on.

Rosaline watched him with a grin, giving his arm a gentle nudge with her elbow, "Look at you already knowing what to do. I'm proud," she jested, getting a laugh from him before she began placing the cooked tortillas in the warmer, "I hope you know I'm making extras because you're taking some of this food home, whether you like it or not," She paused, giving him a teasing wink as she began the last batch of tortillas, but not before stirring the chicken pot once more, "You should definitely take some to Alex, I bet she'd like it! I'll make her a set of leftovers, too. It's happening, don't try to change my mind!" She added lightheartedly, watching Goren give her a defeated look with a smile before lifting his hands up in surrender, just before he grabbed the now-empty mixing bowl and cleaned it in the sink.

"You know, I appreciate you listening to me," She began, placing the last tortilla on the pan to cook, "A lot of people would feel too uncomfortable for me to keep going, and I can usually pick up pretty easily on that. But you're the complete opposite…you want to know more, as much as I'll tell you about my experience," she paused, smiling softly as she rinsed her hands clean, "And I'll tell you as much as you want to know. Although so much happened that sometimes a few things escape me…but they come back. They always come back, often times triggered by something else," she stirred the pot one last time before grabbing a spoon out of a drawer, tasting the sauce and nodding before she turned the burner off, "Like a song, or a place, stuff like that. It's weird, you wouldn't think that someone would forget stuff like that, right? Although I can't say I forget, per se. More like…suppress, maybe?" She paused, placing the last cooked tortillas in the warmer before wrapping the cloth over them and putting the lid on, "Oh yeah, I think everything is done. Time to eat!"

Goren had gone back to watching her after he'd placed the mixing bowl on the drying rack, listening to her speak as if she was just talking about how her day at work had gone, still trying to fully, deeply process all the various pieces of information she'd just bestowed him. Sometimes the way she told her experience came off nonchalant, 'a walk in the park' as he'd mentioned earlier, but he could tell that deep down it had affected her in many ways, and not just the few she'd told him of so far. She was very complex and intricate in his mind, and he wanted to be able to see, comprehend, and appreciate the sides she hadn't shown him yet, not just for his curiosity, but so he could understand her better. He wanted to learn every facet of her and her personality, mainly for his own selfish reason of wanting to be closer to her, to be able to relate to her and, hopefully, she would relate to him, would _want_ to relate to and understand him, as well. He wanted to be able to talk to her on a deeper level, not just as a friend but as something more…as someone he could come home to, who would know what to say or not to say when he'd had a rough day at work, someone who would be happy simply to see him, just like she'd done earlier that night; except…he wanted that _every_ night.


End file.
